To Manhattan to the theater … to see “The Country House” by Donald Margulies. First, the journey across the 59th Street Bridge, aka, the Queensborough Bridge, aka, The Ed Koch Queensborough Bridge. This will give you folks who are not familiar with New York City a feel for the expanse. Going into Manhattan, the center of the Universe. Can you find the tram?
Continue reading →Last night I attended a fundraiser-dinner-concert on the magnificent roof of my mother’s building for the elderly which is owned and run by a ministry: the idea is that when the old folks run out of money, they will not be evicted; fundraisers like this will keep them in their homes. In my continuing tale about my mother, the terror of running out of money and subsequent eviction was always the lingering fear. I was more than happy to be there as part of this worthy cause. Three jazz groups played as the sun went down. And, as the sky darkened the planes … Continue reading →
The soon-to-end cool, Summer of color. A walk through the New York Botanic Garden. Current featured exhibit: Great American Gardens and the Women Who Designed Them. (Exhibit ends September 7th). Featured are the women who designed famous gardens and who photographed them. All we know comes from nature … Shape, color, size, texture … All we love surrounds us … In water … On land … In the desert … From the sky … From seeds to color… Our Summer … Continue reading →
On the way home, how can you not stop for a final frank or two at Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield, Connecticut? They were on the Food Channel with Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The final frank marks the end of vacation.
Continue reading →One of my friends from high school lives in the Northampton, MA area and I try to see her when possible. She has the most beautiful little garden on a stone porch outside her kitchen. I didn’t want to leave. She cut me a pristine gardenia and it lasted a week. I guarded it with my life! On to a visit to Emily Dickinson’s House Emily was considered an odd ball, and her work was not published until after her death when her sister, Lavinia, promoted it to publishers. She dressed strangely for her … Continue reading →
An exhibit in the town of Adams, Massachusetts, of child mill workers was moving; I have been to several mills that now have exhibits. I have seen photos of the children, babies, who toiled from dawn to night, feeding thread to machines, handling cotton and slipping on oil in their bare fee even in the freezing Winter. They were used because their hands were small and dexterous. Many lost digits and limbs to machines. Finally the child labor laws came into effect. Lewis Hine’s photographic documentation of child labor–child slavery are a testament to our country’s history. Here are photographs of … Continue reading →
In an old house in Paris, that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines…the smallest one was Madeline. In addition to the Madeline books, Bemelmans was a prolific writer and wrote for adults. He was involved with working in, decorating and writing about restaurants and bars. Ludwig Bemelmans’ grandson has taken over the Madeline legacy: John Bemelmans Marciano. There is nothing like the original. One of my favorite museums: The New-York Historical Society New-York Historical Society 170 Central Park West at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street) New York, NY 10024 Phone (212) 873-3400 … Continue reading →
The Neue Gallerie is the place for great art and culture in manageable-sized exhibits. The building is a magnificent mansion off 5th Avenue on Museum Mile. If you like Klimt (and who doesn’t?) this is the place to see heavenly, golden portraits. Photography is not permitted so I can’t indulge you first hand. But this is what you’ll find. Neue Galerie New York Museum for German and Austrian Art 1048 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10028 Tel. +1 (212) 628-6200 Fax +1 (212) 628-8824 The mission of the Neue Galerie New York is to collect, preserve, research, and exhibit … Continue reading →
May 30, 2014 Wonderful, brilliant friends in from Chicago, just back from India on a Fulbright scholarship for almost five months. The most creative family I know. Outside our favorite deli in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. May 31, 2014 The New George Jam Theater, Chrystie Street, NYC Saw: “A Beautiful Day in November On The Great Banks Of The Greatest Of The Great Lakes” Excellent review in the New York Times June 5, 2014 The Brooklyn Museum Exhibit: Ai WeiWei The Brooklyn Museum Artist from Brooklyn: Swoon The Brooklyn Historical Society: Hidden … Continue reading →
You see me write about Brooklyn frequently. For those of you who are not New Yorkers, Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City, is a treasure trove of neighborhoods, culture, people, and food. Today was a great day to take advantage of the Super Bowl Sunday offer at the Mill Basin Kosher Deli in Mill Basin, (Brooklyn, for their world-famous pastrami: buy a pound (it’s about $29.00) get one free. [5823 Avenue T, Brooklyn, NY 11234] Warning: Never come to New York City for a pastrami or corned beef sandwich and ask for it on any other … Continue reading →
The newly renovated Queens Museum is dazzling. This is the original site of the United Nations, it is the last remaining building of the 1939 World’s Fair which housed a skating rink in the basement and still houses the massive amazing New York City Panorama. The view from the Flushing Meadow Park side is the Unisphere, the symbol of the 1964 World’s Fair. Click on photos to enlarge. The fascinating, huge installation of Peter Schumann extended through several rooms. A chiming clock made of guns welded together banged out a cacophony every fifteen minutes, sounding somewhat like … Continue reading →
On the way to Brooklyn The Brooklyn hot dog tour, ” Hot Diggity Dog,” was run jointly by Green-Wood Cemetery, a national landmark, and The Brooklyn Historical Society, housed in another National landmark. But we’re not talking dogs, we are talking DOGS: frankfurters, if you will. We did not go to Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island which is THE home of the hot dog and of its founder, Charles Feltman. More about him later. We met at the Brooklyn Historical Society, heard an intro and were oriented, then hopped on the Green-Wood trolley to … Continue reading →
Gaultier with Madonna He dressed her for several tours You might say his career began after he dressed his Teddy bear in a cone bra An amazing exhibit of fashion that is more costume and theater than haute couture, in my humble opinion. Gaultier, like so many of us, were influenced by a childhood event. He saw showgirls at the Follies Bregeres and was mesmerized, if not titillated by the costumes and lack of thereof. He was obsessed with the experience and began to doodle designs while in class. He got his knuckles rapped with a ruler for drawing a … Continue reading →
Papa’s Kitchen was recently reviewed by The New York Times; now you’d better reserve one of the few little tables in this tiny place in Woodside, Queens. If you go for the the exotic, the ethnic, the homey, and don’t mind if you do take the mike and sing along in Tagalog, you’ve found your haven. I might add, you are encouraged to eat with your hands, but don’t worry, no pressure. We have wonderful friends who were our perfect accompaniment: Lorna is from the Philippines, and Carl is a linguist with many languages under his belt, one of them … Continue reading →
There’s a lovely lake at the end of my block the iPhone camera is not bad at all and the new iOS7 offers a few new features. I didn’t realize that I had it set to take HDR photos: High Dynamic Range: a burst of three photos at different exposures that are combined to form the best one. That’s a standard on many new cameras. Sometimes I like the “normal” photo better than the HDR which seemed to produce a lighter version of the scene, at times it appeared to be clearer and more detailed. It’s nice to … Continue reading →
I finally caught the exhibit I have been wanting to see. Making Room is an eye-opening view of the way we live and what we need. Cutting-edge design innovations offer possible solutions to New York City’s housing challenges in the 21st century. There is a need to house the growing population of single and small family dwellers. Apartments are becoming scarcer and scarcer in the cities and housing has to be addressed. The exhibit features a 325 square foot “micro studio” with flexible furnishing. Mayor Bloomberg’s administration has addressed the issue with a competition and some of the winners are … Continue reading →
*click the links *Lead-in: From Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan/A visual essay and a prelude a visit to the area triggers memories *Part 1: Windows on the World Video: Building the World Trade Center Introduction George Willig, the wire walker Memory: dining at Windows On The World *Part 2: Audio Walking Tour: A thousand pictures from the sounds “Featuring voice messages, interviews, eyewitness accounts, live music, audio artifacts–the elevators, revolving doors, the piano in Windows on the World…stories and sounds from the world Trade Center and it’s neighborhood.” Follow the map 102 facts *Part 3: Poetry: Billy Collins/The … Continue reading →
The Battery There is a spectacular exhibit of 1930’s art by Reginald Marsh (also, Raphael Soyer, Isabel Bishop). Swing Time, was at the New York Historical Society from June 21, 2013 to September 1, 2013. I was able to see the exhibit on its last day. Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) was an American artist who focused on the mundane, the daily, the profane, the exuberant. He saw the energy and captured it in his interpretation of light by use of color and brush stroke. Some of his work reminds me of the WPA style if there is such a thing. Common … Continue reading →
New York City is an island nation of sorts. We forget that so much of the city is surrounded by water and now that its shoreline development and waterfront parks have been getting their due, ferries are popping up. It used to be that “the ferry” meant the Staten Island Ferry. Yes, there always was a ferry to Liberty Island, Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, but beyond that, people can now travel between boroughs, commute to work or just have some time out at sea. My day began at LIC Flea and Food where food is wonderful and the variety … Continue reading →
H-MART is a Korean food chain that has put down roots in New York and New Jersey and is spreading into other states. It is a hit because it is clean, the food is fresh, the prices, especially the produce is competitive, there are plenty of samples, the workers are respectful and helpful and it is just plain interesting; it is a cheap trip to another country. Experience the flavors and colors of food shopping in Korea. This is one of H-MART’s latest store openings. I stuffed myself with Korean snack food so I can work on this post and … Continue reading →
